OCR Text |
Show The Salt Lake Tribune OUTDOORS Athletes Choosing Eye Surgery @ Continued from C-1 out of his eyes, even when he wore goggles. After undergoing LASIK surgery more than a year ago at the . University of Utah Moran Vision Center, Evans no longer needs contacts andplans to donate his glasses to charity. “For the longest time, when I would wake up and open myeyes, it was unbelievable,” said Evans, whois also a certified financial Planner. “I've been wearing glasses since the third grade andI needed thembefore that.I'm now 49. So to be able to see, and see Investigate Before You Decide Questions to ask before choosing a laser surgeon:’ @1.Is the surgeon whowill perform the procedure a corneal specialist? Is the surgeon board-certified? Is he or she involved in clinical researchtrials? Does the surgeonteach others? @ 2. How many LASIK procedures has the surgeon performed? Studies show that surgeons who haveperformed more than 300 procedures have lower complication rates. : 3.Has the surgeon performed surgery on patients ofyour age, race and gender? Has the surgeondealt with refractive corrections similar to your own? 4. Does the surgeon track results? Not all do. Surgeons whodon’t keep statistics cannotrealistically predict their success or complicationrates. 5. Does the surgeon follow his or her own patients throughout their treatment? Some delegate preoperative and post-operative care to salaried optometrists. Ifothers will be involved in your care, check their qualifications. Make sure that the surgeon evaluates you before the procedure. well, without myglasses is kind ofliberating.” hervisoras shetraveled at up to ‘75 mph down thetrack at Utah Olympic Park. “There were times I would take four runs in a day and I'd replace my contacts four times,” said Canfield, who plans to com- pete at next year’s Winter Olym- pics for American Samoa, where she grew up. At her post-operative examination on Friday, Canfield had 20/20 vision in her right eye, slightly less in herleft eye. “They said within the week thatleft eye should be 20/20,too,” nearest laser center, But that would be a mistake. Laser sur- gery, let’s not forget, is surgery. And no surgical procedure should be entered intolightly. “Many represent LASIK as something to be performed during one’s lunch hour,”said Majid Moshirfar, director of. refractive surgery at the Moran Vision Center, who operated on Hornacek, “They minimize the true complexity and gravity of the procedure.” But rest assured on onepoint: undergoing “LASIK does not need further fine-turning. One in 10,000 will require a corneal transplant. By now,you should be getting the idea that choosing a laser surgeon is as important as choosing the right gynecologist or oncologist. And that means that you don't shop by price. “You wouldn't want your head operated on by the lowest-cost surgeon in town,”said Phillip Hoopes of the Hoopes Vision i Correction Center in Sandy, who performed LASIK surgery on Starzz powerforward Williams. Instead, you should meet the surgeon whowill wield the laser and check out thefacility where the surgery will be performed. (See also sidebar on choosing a laser surgeon.) With lasers costing half a million dollars or more,not all laser centers are equally equipped. Hoopes, for example, has three FormerJazz great in place. The reshaping, whichis pain- likely you'd get audited by the sion can improve immediately. Mostpatients see clearly within 24 hours, How clearly they see depends atleast partially on the severity of their initial prescrip- IRSordie in a car accident. No- transparenttissue covering the front of the eye. After numbing the eye with anesthetic drops, surgeons cut a protective flap in the cornea. Then,with the laser, less,takes less than a minute. Vi- tion. About two-thirds will achieve close to 20/20 vision or better. Nearly 98 percent will see Possible complications from sue. Finally, the flap is laid back laser surgery include corneal infection, flap problems and About Laser Eye Surgery Nationally, the average cost of laser surgery is about $2,000 an eye. Salt Lake City is among the most competitive markets in the country, with average costs be- tween $1,400 and $1,500 an eye. That includes evaluation and. pre-operative post-operative care. Lowerprices are available at higher-volume: centers, where workup andpost-operative care may be done by staff optome- trists, Prices at these centers have dipped as low as $499 an eye, mologist for the Jazz, who performed Polynice’s LASIK surgery, said he had even heard of some centers reusing the pricey blades used to cut the cornea. Eachbladecosts $50. “You wouldn't use someone else's razor blade,” said Miller. “That's why it costs $50. It’s ex- quisitely sharp, exquisitely smooth and just perfect. And whenyou've handled it once,it’s not perfect.” well enough to drive without lasses. they change the shape ofthe cor- nea byselectively removingtis- toa lasercenterthatdoes. problems will cost more. Corey Miller, team opthal- mean risking blindness. “Blindness is an unrealistic fear,” said Moshirfar. “It’s more body goes blind from this surgery. Nobody.” LASIK surgery improves vision by reshapingthe cornea,the a laser suitable for your prescription, you should be referred but those seeking to take advantage of suchoffers often find that correcting their own vision JEFF HORNACEK What You Need to Know SS Ses the surgery. Up to 18 percentwill range of prescriptions. If the “I was alwaysafraid of having the surgery until I was doneplaying. But nowafter the fact, I wish I would have doneit earlier. Now I can bein the gym with the kids when they’re practicing shooting and it’s just like I have my contacts on, without all the dust getting in there. When sweat dropped down in my eye with contacts, it seemedto blur up therefor a second,” said Canfield. “I can see as good as I could with contacts.” Success stories like these are enough to send almost anyone whohas spenta lifetimefiddling with contact lenses and dealing with glasses scurryingoff to the well at night than they did before center you consult does not have Thursday after her first year of blew outof her eyes and stuck to percentof laser patients see less ! Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune American avocets search for midge larvae along the LaytonKaysville marshesof the Great Salt Lake. Festival Celebrates Waterfowl lasers, so it can handle thefull Skeleton athlete Felicia Canfield underwentlaser surgery on competition. Contacts routinely Tuesday, May 8, 2001 glare-and-halo effects. About 5 @ Continued from C-1 organizations andartists. There will also be tours offered to the Layton Wetlands Preserve, an undiked natural wetlands complex adjacent to the Great Salt Lake. Entrance to thefestival itself is free but there is a chargefor, field. trips, seminars. and workshops. A complete schedule can be obtained by calling 451-3286 or by emailing tour@co.davis.ut.us, Utah author Terry Tempest Williams, whose book Refuge brought national notoriety to the Great Salt Lake, will be the keynote speakeratthefestival's dinner Saturday.Costis $20. There should be plenty of birds to see for those taking tours. There are thousands of avocets andstilts on the lake and other birds such as ibis, dowitchers, ibis, great blue herons and egrets on the water. More than, 200 species of birds Ne been documented on the e. “Ecological support for the Great Salt Lake is on therise,” said Dolling. “Thefestival is one of the things that elevates interest in thelake.It is neat to see someone ooh and aah when you introduce them to the lake and theylike it.” Though the largest, the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival is not the only celebration of International Migratory Bird Day in Utah Saturday. @ Tracy Aviary at Salt Lake City’s Liberty Park will feature ‘educational booths from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. @Those wishing to view sandhill cranes and other birds can join the DWR's Bob Walters at the Swaner Nature Preserve near Kimball Junction from 7 a.m. to noon. @Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, located on the Pony Express Trail in the West Desert will host an open house that includes bird banding, guided tours and educational exhibits. @For those traveling p.m. Events include guided bird walks, information stations and children's activities. Two events are also scheduled May 19. They include the Bear River Bird Festival at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge that includes - guided tours, demonstrations and children's activities and a DWR birding classic Utah County that starts at 6 a.m. and attempts to - 100 bird speciesin a single Y. SATURDAY, MAY 12 ¢ UTAH STATE CAPITOL Olympic Athletes Get Free Surgery Listen up if you're a ski jumperbotchinglandings, a biathlete who can’t see the 1. If you wear soft contact lenses; you will be asked to stop wearing them at least a week before your examination. Hard contact lens wearers will have to go without their lenses even longer. Contacts flatten the cornea, which can affect your prescription. 2. Don’t count on getting 20/20 vision. Outcomes vary.“I can take twins with the same vision,do the same surgery and they may have different re- sults,” said Majid Moshirfar, directorof refractive surgery at the Moran Vision Center. If youare a suitable candidate for laser surgery — and the majority of people are — your doctor should discuss your chances of achieving 20/20 vision, based on the doctor's own results. 3. If you're older than 45, you mayopt to have oneeye undercorrected for distance in order to retain someability to read at close range. Theloss ofclose-up vision as a result of aging cannot yet be treated by laser WeberPaddle Festival Offers surgery, although researchers are working on a surgical solution. 4. Laser surgery isn’t your target or any other Olympic athlete whose performance is being adversely affected by poorvision. only option for improved vision. In photo-refractive kera- ClearVision Laser Centers are offering free LASIK tectomy, surgery to Olympicathletes Fi the surgeon operates directly on your cornea, instead of peeling back a corneal flap. Another choice is Intacs corneal ring segments, which are inserted through tiny cut inthe cornea in orderto flattenit. 5. Beck Weathers, who miraculously survived the 1996 tragedy on MountEverest, initially got into trouble when he was blinded high on the moun- tain. Weathers’ temporary vision loss wasa result ofthe type of refractive surgery — radial keratotomy — he had undergone. The most commonly performed refractive. procedure before the advent of the laser, radial keratotomy is known to cause corneal swelling and poor vision at high altitudes. LASIK surgery is not linked to vision problems ataltitude. whoneed to see better in orderto perform better. |R “If an Olympic athlete honestly needsbetter vision Guaranteed results in wninng - Call TeToday! 1:00 p.m.to 6:00 p.m. FREE Admission * * * * * * * FREEpizza,ice cream and bottled water. FREE State Farmchildren’s bike rodeoandsafety training. FREEbike helmets FREEbike tune-ups. FREE stuntbike shows. FREEpublicchildren’s race. RHO ODE 'S PLUSa mayor's race and DOWNTOWN a communityleader's race CRITERIUM byinvitation only. For more info, contact Change Your Habits orn ver iM and slalom racesna put Coneson our Life ‘There will be a cook-out and UTARideshare at 262-5626 UTA 5% RIDESHARE and information and to register for clinics. All proceeds benefit the Utah Rivers Council. Entryme Fee: $25 1:00 p.m.to 8:30 p.m, For moreinfo, call 631-3948 TODAY!!! Saat ® (Ris) 7200 So. 411 West Suite 300 Midvale, UT www.pchypnosis.com/utah1.htm AUCA Event Judith Teacher Blaine, ethred : Towrine teonscee ss Call 233-THIN (8446) pennepoe Seusare’ Call 359-9961 for more Positive Changes Hypnosis of Utah sponsors. . D REMOVEUNWANTED HAIR TODAY! The Weber Paddle Festival offers Wasatch Front residents an opportunity to learn about river sports on May 19-20 when local boating enthusiasts and gear representatives give a series of clinics and product demonstrations on the Weber River and Echo Lake. Sea Kayaks and canoes will be available at Echo Lake State Park, while whitewater kayaks and the lastest playboats will be available a few miles away at the Henefer put-in. Learn the basics of rolling a kayak, river rescue, wilderness first aid and canoe touring, orjust relax and olancoerewSe O and finds contacts — and certainly glasses — an impediment, then we'd doit,” said Jeannette Duerr, ClearVision director of corporate communications, So far only two athletes — cyclist Erin VeenstraMirabella of Colorado Springs, Colo., and skeleton competitor Felicia Canfield of Kaysville have taken advantage of ClearVision’s offer. Andif ClearVision gets a sudden influx of athletes wanting laser surgery? “If 1° just get overwhelmed, then we'll work that out,” said Duerr. Clinics, Demos onby the Utah Whitewater H oan eau theresangate "Toy My a5am, Isaac House The ride starts the northeast Roe rem deen ten, Cee Ley ae in southeastern Utah, the Matheson Wetland Preserve on the edge of the Colorado River will be part of the celebration from 8 a.m.to 2:30 Sees: the nderarute USa, For info and to register, online , May at 7:30 wwwbbte.net oF call am. Jon Smith 801-326-3332 |